


The Kingdom of the Blind

by AuteurOnirique



Series: Love is blindness [3]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Elrond and Lindir are dating each other online without knowing they're dating each other online, Frottage, M/M, Nipple Piercings, Online Dating, a sort of au of this au, part of the The Blind Leading the Blind au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 13:49:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7510763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuteurOnirique/pseuds/AuteurOnirique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elrond doesn't mean to demand things out of his mysterious online lover. But when he asks... Well... </p><p>Part of the The Blind Leading the Blind au. It's a sort of au of this au. I would recommend reading it before so you can understand the relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the kingdom of the Blind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yeaka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/gifts).



> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Okay so this was a prompt that the very lovely and very talented yeaka gave me a while ago, but I'm only posting this now because life got in the way (you're going to laugh but I'm actually a teacher's assistant and I had a 90-pages essay to write and the end of the year to organize well, the works) 
> 
> So, the prompt was: “My favourite parts actually were when they still didn't know they're really talking to each other, so would it be possible to do something with that while they're still texting each other unknowingly? I understand if you don't want to jump back into the middle though, so feel free to not do this! But yeah, my wish I think would be with Elrond ordering Lindir to do something, kinda like how in the sidestory you had him giving Lindir lingerie? Maybe he could send Lindir something, or order Lindir to get something after Lindir asking for orders to follow...?”
> 
> I might have gotten sidetracked with this? This idea had a lot of potential which I left behind a little? I'm sorry if that didn't quite fit the idea? Please let me know if you think I did well. 
> 
> I wrote this listening to the song “In The Kingdom of the Blind, the One-Eyed are Kings” by Dead Can Dance which is also the inspiration of the title. 
> 
> I just want to thank all of your for your very nice comments on my previous Elrondir fics, you guys are adorable, and I hope that you enjoy this new installment.

Elrond was all about intellectual honesty. 

And honestly it was Internet’s fault. 

Because he would never have the idea had Internet not provided it. 

Elrond was trying to find a way to begin a conversation with the mysterious Maglor after their three days break. They had resumed talking slowly when Maglor had returned from his trek, but things were not totally the same. They had both recently resumed working and conversation was sparse. It was usually little messages like: “How was your day?” “Good, you?” “I’m exhausted.” “Me too.” And that was it. 

Elrond couldn’t really explain it. Maybe it was seeing Lindir again? He realized how much of his assistant he had put into his mental image of Maglor and it scared him. Maybe Maglor had remembered his crush on his boss as well. Elrond tried not to feel too jealous of that. 

The fact was, his hands were now hovering over the tiny keyboard of his phone, wondering if he should finish typing his question. 

He had looked up ‘subject of conversation’ on Internet. 

“Hi. I’m sorry if it sounds too personal and you can tell me if I’m crossing a line here, but I was wondering…” 

A lot of it was utter… nonsense. Like: talking about parents, family, future plans or dreams. It was nice and what Elrond would usually go for in any other conversation. But this was not any other conversation. This was the mysterious Maglor. He had seen him… in various compromising positions. Plus the very same mysterious Maglor had seen him in various compromising positions. 

The other options were way too straightforward for Elrond. While he greatly wished to be intimate with Maglor again in their strange way, he didn’t want to begin a conversation with a cliché and distasteful “what are you wearing?”

Leave it to him to care about taste while sexting a young man.

Sighing, Elrond sent the text and went to make some tea. Or tried to. Because Arwen was working in the kitchen and admonished him: “It’s too late for tea. You won’t sleep if you drink some now.”

“Trust me, I need it.” Elrond replied, retrieving the box of loose leaf darjeeling. 

“You need some sleep.” Arwen replied with something of Galadriel in her amused statement. “There’s tisane on the bottom shelf. It’s still warm and much better.”

“I’m not drinking tisane. It’s basically warm water lying about being tea.” Elrond protested. 

“Make some for me too.” was all Arwen replied. 

Since when his daughter was ordering him around? 

(Since she was Galadriel’s grand-daughter, he guessed) 

Elrond was eyeing the tisane box suspiciously when he heard the familiar alert on his phone. He reached for it and tried not to look too eager while he was opening his messages. 

He felt his heart beat faster as it always did wen he saw familiar user name of the mysterious Maglor and the notification indicating that he had two unread messages. 

“You didn’t cross any line, don’t worry.”

“I only have a tattoo behind my shoulder actually. I would really like a piercing but I can’t have anything that can’t be covered. It doesn’t leave many choices.”

And, while he was reading these answers, a third one came up: “I don’t suppose you have any tattoos or piercings yourself?”

Elrond chuckled at that. 

Unknown to him, Arwen perked up at the sound and blinked several times at her computer. When had she ever heard her father chuckle at something? It couldn’t be Thranduil because Elrond would he sighing. It couldn’t be anyone else because Elrond was always silent when he was texting. That was strange…

After a playful debate with Arwen on the pros and cons of tisane, Elrond was back in his room with a steaming cup of warm water infused with an after-thought of raspberry and elderflower. After one dispassionate look at the papers he should be grading, he opened Maglor’s messages again. 

“I don’t actually. Would you like to see me with a piercing?”

“I figured you would me more of a tattoo person.” Maglor’s reply came. 

“Really? Why?”

“I don’t know: I just see you with a Ereinion line tattooed somewhere on your body.”

Elrond chuckled again. That would be a good idea actually. 

“By the way: what does your tattoo look like?”

“Don’t laugh but it’s a line by Malgor.”

Elrond did laugh but there was no way the mysterious Maglor would know. 

“Which one?” 

“ ”And fortify your self in your decay.” ” the mysterious Maglor quoted. Elrond couldn’t help but smile again. He took a sip of his tisane. 

“Any special meaning for that?”

“Other than I liked it? Not specially.” 

Elrond felt that there was something his mysterious correspondant was not telling him but he didn’t push it. At least, they were talking as they did before and that was a gift that Elrond was not ready to let go, even if it meant not asking questions he desperately wanted the answer to. 

Maglor wrote this poem when he had lost his dear brother Maedhros. The entire poem spoke of a deep and aching loss and finding hope again under all the destruction. 

“If you could, what piercings would you want to have?” He asked Maglor instead. 

“I don’t really know? Probably a septum. Not very original but I like them. What would you have?”

“I don’t think I would ever want a piercing? Or maybe one that I could hide.”

“Let’s have a hidden piercing together then!” Maglor joked. Elrond smiled and shook his head in front of his phone. 

“I’m not getting my genitals pierced. Not even for you.” He replied. 

“From what I saw, your cock is fine as it is.” The mysterious Maglor replied. Elrond sipped his tisane again, in order to avoid answering the message immediately. 

And maybe also to focus on something else other than the blush he felt creeping on his cheeks. He was way too old for that. He redirected the conversation elsewhere by answering: 

“What would you say about a tongue piercing?”

Talk about taste. 

***

The next day, Elrond was working with Lindir in his office. They were silent as usual but they were still playing their waltz of hidden glances, as usual. 

Elrond noticed that Lindir was re-arranging his shirt more often than usual. It was still very discreet, but the young man would, sometimes, grab the bottom of his shirt, as if to prevent the fabric from adhering to his skin too much. 

That was strange. It was his clear blue shirt and, unlike the black one with the white buttons, it never bothered Lindir before. 

Once, Lindir went to make them both some tea and Elrond realized that he had never seen his assistant’s shoulders naked, not even during that heat wave they had worked through last year. 

***

“Valar, I’m truly a desperate case: I’m usually so serious and so focused but today, I couldn’t stop but think about you.” The mysterious Maglor told him that evening. 

“What did you think about?” Elrond replied while watching the pasta on the stove. 

“Piercings ;)”

“Interesting subject. What about them?”

“Nipple piercings are said to be very interesting indeed.”

“Are they, now? They look rather painful.”

“They do take a long time to heal but well, they look great. They sound nice to play with. Would you picture me with one?”

“I would picture you in anything.”

“Flatterer. Would you like a lover with nipple piercings?”

“It would intrigue me. I wonder what they taste like…”

“I’d love to find that out with you… Imagine it. We’re making out and I grab your hands to put it on my chest. Then you would feel them. What would you do?“

“First, I might be surprised. You? The adorable young man with something as wicked as nipple piercings?“

“Wouldn’t you know by then how wicked I am?”

“Still, I would want to examine this very closely. I would touch them without removing your shirt. Little touches around them, feeling it.“

“I would go crazy. Arching in your hands so you would touch me more.“

“You always crave it, don’t you? Then I would touch you more. Rubbing it gently, feeling the metal in the palm of my hand. Then I would touch the other one. With my tongue.”

“I don’t even have nipple piercings but it’s almost as if I could feel it. Would you remove the shirt then?”

“Not right away. I would taste you through your shirt. I think it would feel nice against my tongue. The difference would be surprising and I will need a moment to get used to the feeling of it on my tongue.”

“You would tease me.”

“Basically, yes. Would you moan for me?”

“I would beg in no time. Try to get my shirt off so I can feel your tongue directly on my skin.”

“I would love to watch that. After a while, when you’re truly desperate, I will remove your shirt for you, baring you to me. I will see the piercings I teased and watch them for a while.”

“How long?”

“Long enough to admire them. Would you rather have rings or barbels?”

“My, my, someone has done their reading. I’d love rings.”

“Then I would admire the rings, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands from them long. I’ll keep touching them, touching your nipple, feel it under my fingers.”

“Please put your mouth on it”

The lack of punctuation made Elrond smile. He could just picture the mysterious Maglor, laying on his stomach, one hand under his t-shirt, teasing one nipple after the other, desperately wanting to touch the other one, wanting to touch himself, but not able to keep his eyes nor his hand from his phone, waiting for the pieces of Elrond’s fantasy. He would perhaps moan in frustration as he sought unsatisfying friction against his mattress. Oh, Elrond could just imagine it: his long dark hair falling in his face, his bottom lip all red and bruised from biting it, his toes curling and his back arching into an invisible presence as he buried his face in the pillows in frustration. 

He couldn’t let such a delightful creature like that wait now, could he? He already had another unread message: 

“Please, please, put your mouth on me. Please.”

He smiled and replied: “Hush, you perfect creature, I’ll put my mouth on you until you’re begging.”

Elrond startled when he felt boiling water on his hand. Oh right, the pasta. He hurriedly turned the stove off and added the green curry and zucchini as quickly as he could, berating himself for his own behaviour. What was he? Sixteen with an unquenchable libido? Sometimes, he was ashamed about how quickly he was becoming dependent of his near-daily conversations with the mysterious Maglor. How quickly it aroused him. 

Covering the gigantic pasta bowl (he still hadn’t learned how not to make pasta for a family of five, even though Arwen and him had been living alone for quite some time now. He tried not to think about it) with film, he put it in the fridge for when Arwen finally came home and headed to the bedroom, his eyes fixed on the screen of his phone. 

Maglor had replied with a cheeky: “So not long then. I would beg in no time ;)”

Elrond typed his reply as he settled on the bed: “Then I would make you wait a little. I would take my time. I want to taste your skin. I want to feel the way the metal has warmed at the contact of your skin. I want to feel the different textures.”

Elrond was already half-hard and getting harder as the fantasy took form in his mind. He was in trousers and shirt-sleeves and had no patience to undress more (plus Arwen would be home any minute now) so he only opened his trousers and started teasing himself through his underwear. He closed his eyes at the contact and reveled in it for a moment before returning to tease his lovely correspondent. 

“By that time, I expect you would want to move things south. You would want me to touch you, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes. Yes please. Put your hands on me.”

“I expected you would say that. But I won’t touch you lower than your waist.”

“Won’t you? I would shamelessly rub myself on you so I would try to persuade you. I truly don’t know how persuasive I can be but I would try so hard for you.”

Valar, what had he done to deserve him? 

“No, I will take your hands in mine so you won’t be tempted to try and touch yourself like I know you would should I refuse to touch you myself. Tell me what you would be wearing.”

There it was, the terrible question. But it was too important not to ask. The fantasy had to be anchored in reality for it to be convincing. 

“Probably what I’m wearing now: boxers, black boxers. And the t-shirt but you already removed that one.”

“Good. Then, I would turn you around, re-arrange you so you’re laying on your stomach and I’m above you, pressing down on you, just enough so you can feel me, but still leaving some space so I can go back to touching your piercings without hurting you.”

“The most arousing part of the sentence shouldn’t have been the part about you being careful not to hurt me but seriously, I just moaned when reading it. You would be so considerate and gentle. It would feel so good to be pinned between the mattress and you. It would be so good. I want it so much.”

“And in this position, you wouldn’t be able to use your hands.”

“Would you rather have me rub on you or on the mattress?”

“We don’t have to choose if I pin you down.”

“So, I’m on my stomach at your mercy. What then?”

“How is your hair?”

“Fine, it thanks you for asking.”

Elrond couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. Maglor could be funny at the most unexpected times. It meant that he was very close to losing control. 

“I meant: is it tied back or is it free?”

“I could make another pun with that. It’s tied back in a bun. Do you want me to undo it?”

“Yes, please. Undo it. Picture me undoing it with my teeth because my hands wouldn’t leave your piercings to save my life.”

“There, done. What would you do next?”

“I would probably make you feel how hard I am right now. Make you rub against the mattress in a most undignified manner. I would bury my face in your hair and bite at your shoulder. The one with the tattoo.”

“You remembered.”

“Of course I remember.”

“I’m sorry but I’m just smiling so much right now. I can’t help myself.”

“What else are you doing right now?” Elrond asked, trying to lessen his own smile. The mysterious Maglor continued to be a wonder. He pictured him, cheeks flushed, hair in disarray with the most beautiful and blinding smile ever. 

He tried really hard not to confess to himself that he was picturing his assistant Lindir smiling that way, superimposing the two images. 

Elrond had been teasing himself absent-mindedly since he had settled on the bed. Sensing the end to be near, he exhaled slowly and took himself firmly in hand. He groaned at the sensation. The lovely picture of Maglor under him, undulating his hips in search of friction came back in full force. He could nearly feel the strange sensation of the warm metal piercings under his fingertips. 

“I’m lying on my stomach, trying to decide what I should touch with only one hand.” The mysterious Maglor replied. “I wish you were here. I couldn’t refuse more hands right now.”

Elrond smiled at that again and wondered, in the back of his mind, how many times Maglor had made him smile the past few days. It was highly unusual. 

“What are you doing?” The young man asked back. 

“I’m sitting on my bed, touching myself. I can almost feel your piercings on my fingertips.”

“Don’t come yet.” 

Elrond couldn’t help but be surprised at that. The mysterious Maglor never gave orders. He usually gave suggestions with a ton of “I’m sorry” and “If you don’t mind”. He was getting more comfortable with him. Elrond felt a strange profound sensation of warmth in his chest which was not entirely arousal but that he wasn’t entirely comfortable analyzing too much. He did keep his touch lighter, obeying Maglor’s order. He could feel his breath deepening and his need becoming more urgent, but still, he kept his touch lighter. He couldn’t disappoint Maglor now. Even if Maglor wasn’t even here to see. 

The next message was a picture. It was Maglor, he recognized the long brown hair and the pale grey sheets. This picture, however, showed more than the others. Even if his face was hidden but his hair, for once, the picture wasn’t cropped at his mouth or chin. The mysterious Maglor was lying on his stomach, as promised, his face in the pillow, his back arched so very delicious, his pale legs too long to be entirely in the picture. Elrond could see the barest hint of Maglor’s hand at the level of his chest, his fingers toying with one nipple. 

He was the exact picture of Elrond’s fantasy. He groaned. How come they were always on the same wave-length, the both of them? 

“Valar, how perfect are you exactly?” He typed. Then he remembered how the mysterious Maglor often became shy at Elrond’s compliments. It contrasted heavily with their conversations (especially the latest ones) but his lovely correspondent often took more time answering to compliments and was always more awkward in his messages. He then added: “Can I come now?” before sending it. 

He hadn’t asked permission to come in a long, long time. 

“Valar, yes, please come. Please.”

Elrond closed his eyes again, the rhythm of his hand picking up. He had teased himself enough. He wasted no time and brought himself off to the picture of Maglor arching his back into him, making him feel more of him, and the sound, imperfect, incomplete, of Maglor begging him to come against him, to make him come. Pleasure washed over him and he felt his other hand clutch his phone tightly as if he were clutching Maglor’s hair as the younger man became frantic and moved his hips more urgently against him. 

Elrond came in his fist, his head thrown back against the headboard, biting his lip hard so he would not make any sound. 

That young man would be the death of him. 

As he slowly came back from his high, he looked at his phone again. No new messages. 

“Have you come?” He asked. 

“Trying to.” Came the reply. Short, hurried. Maglor was frustrated. Elrond smiled. It was his turn to help. 

“I just came. I came picturing you bucking against me as I bit your shoulder and made you arch your back against me. I couldn’t feel enough of you. You would feel so good against me. You’re always so good for me.”

No reply came for some time. Elrond smiled and walked to the bathroom to wash the evidence of the conversation. The reply came as he was drying his hands. 

“What you do to me.” Was all Maglor said but Elrond knew and smiled. 

“So… Nipple piercings, right?”

“Right. Sorry, still have to catch my breath.”

“I would make you lie on your back and make sure I didn’t hurt your nipples and the piercings are not irritated or anything. I would gently kiss them. Then gently kiss you.”

“Who’s perfect now?”

“Who’s the flatterer now?”

“As much as I’d like to answer that, I do sadly have to go. Something bothersome called a life and responsibilities called dinner.”

“I understand. I should go as well. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow :)”

Elrond shook his head. Maglor always ended their conversations with this smiley. 

***

The morning after, Elrond felt so relaxed that Arwen made a sneaky remark on the virtues on tisane in the evening which only made her father shrug. She didn’t have the time to investigate before Aragorn appeared in the driveway on his motorbike. She kissed his cheek before darting off with her leather-clad Prince Charming.

He arrived to the near empty university, already impatient for his second cup of tea of the day. In nearly a week, the corridors would be full of students and noise and hurried professors. Now, only some of the most serious professors were here, along with their assistants, in order to prepare the up-coming semester and correct the finals due for the end of the winter break. 

The air was cold but the sky was blue and promised a nice day. Elrond closed his car and walked to his office. 

At the intersection of the literature and history halls, he crossed Thranduil. Elrond frowned. His friend smelt strongly of alcohol and still had glitter in his hair. He had sunglasses and clutched his coffee for dear life. 

“Thranduil, you here, on a break. Is the world coming to an end?” He joked, trying not to show how anxious he was. 

“ ‘M noly here because half my students gave their final papers late. Not that I remember giving a date for them to hand it in, mind you. Well, have to meet Feren to share those. There’s a lot of them.”

“Is Bard busy?”

“That he is. Have to correct the essays as well so we have the time to take the kids to the zoo. I understand there are snow leopards at this time of the year. Can’t miss the snow leopards.” Thranduil rambled on. 

“Did you have a fight with Bard, Thranduil?”

There was a silence. Thranduil was frowning, contemplating the enormous pile of essays in his hands. 

“Not a fight per se…” The history professor ended up answering. “He just strongly suggested that I do not show up hungover for the day at the zoo and I told him that I could do whatever I wanted and I went to get drunk and he told me that if I was hungover for the day at the zoo, he would not take me. I think he was serious.”

“Thranduil, you need to seriously reconsider some of your life choices. Bard is giving you the opportunity to bond with his kids. This is huge for him. He doesn’t want you to stop drinking and drinking, he just wants you to be fully present for a nice family day. Get a grip, will you? What are you doing for lunch?”

“Anything that will get rid of this headache for me?”

“Let’s have lunch together. See you at the café and we’ll talk. Be there or I’ll come and get you.”

“Yes. Yes, let’s have lunch. You have stuff to tell me as well. You have to tell me how boytoy is doing. Did you get laid last night? You don’t look as constipated as usual…”

“Why don’t you speak even louder? I don’t think HR heard you from there.”

“You’re only imagining you’re breaking rules. You don’t have to be ashamed. It’s all legal.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t make it alright. Now, just, go and try to grade some papers before lunch. We’ll talk then.”

Thranduil nodded with the shadow of a smirk and walked past Elrond back to the history department where his office was. Elrond turned to make sure his friend was alright just in time to see him avoid a collision with poor Lindir who looked somewhat rushed. He had left his hair free today, which was a very rare occurrence, and was wearing dark jeans, his navy blue coat and his usual over-sized light grey scarf. He looked somewhat distraught, as if he had heard Elrond’s conversation with Thranduil which, by all the Valar, Elrond hoped he didn’t. 

He nodded to Lindir and tried to make small talk as they walked to his office. Elrond made tea while Lindir was settling in. He was more silent than usual, Elrond couldn’t help but notice. 

Oh, well, he probably wished he was still in bed during the break, not here grading papers with the old literature professor, Elrond thought, handing Lindir his cup of black tea. 

However, as the morning dragged on, Elrond couldn’t help but notice Lindir’s sullen silence and his utter refusal to make eye contact. Elrond could see that his assistant tried, sometimes. He looked on the verge of lifting his eyes or saying something but then, he frowned and went back to grading. 

He knew. 

Elrond felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. He knew. He knew and it shouldn’t matter but it did. Lindir knew that he was having some sort of affair with a younger man and he probably tried not to be too disgusted by it but he was. 

It shouldn’t matter, Elrond kept thinking, trying to breathe normally while correcting yet another paper on the ‘edjâ’ possessive pronoun in Ereinion poems. 

***

At lunch, Lindir established eye-contact for at least three seconds and tried a smile while getting his coat and heading out. 

As he left, Elrond found himself sighing and rubbing his temples. He was closing the office when he heard the ‘poing’ which indicated that Maglor had sent him a message. Thank Eru the young man had not send the message earlier: he had been so tense all morning, he would have jumped at the sound. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m having a shitty day.” The message said. 

Elrond felt himself smiling: count on a single message by the mysterious Maglor to lift his spirits up. 

“I really shouldn’t be glad, but at least I know I’m not alone. What happened?”

“I’m being jealous over someone I really shouldn’t be jealous over.” Then immediately after: “Please don’t take this the wrong way.”

“And make your shitty day even shittier? Wouldn’t dream of it. Leave them be: if they’re ignoring you, they’re the worst kind of blind that can be. Think about how I’m going to take care of you and your nipple piercings tonight.”

“That’s sincerely the sweetest thing.”

Elrond smiled and started walking towards the café, hoping that he wouldn’t have to come back all the way up here because Thranduil was vomiting in the toilets or had fallen asleep at his desk. As he exited the building, he received a new message: 

“You know what? I might actually get those nipple piercings. Fuck it.”

“That’s the spirit! Get yourself nice things!”

“I’ll research that as soon as I get home. Thanks for being here. You’re being so kind to me.”

“You deserve it. I really have to go but I’ll talk to you tonight, alright?”

“Sure. Can’t wait! :)”

As he pocketed his phone, Elrond couldn’t help but think of those times when he just wanted to say ‘I love you’. Their relationship was founded, not only on mystery and secrecy (no names, no picture of their faces, ni specifics about their life outside their conversations) but also on trust, understanding, kindness, and support. He felt so at ease with the mysterious Maglor that, somehow, he wanted to casually wish him a good day by saying how much he loved him. A long-distance equivalence of the chaste kiss to your significant other before going to work. 

But they were just illusions. The mysterious Maglor was not, in his mind, really how Maglor was. He had an image of Maglor, deeply woven in his image of Lindir, and he had no doubts that the real mysterious Maglor didn’t correspond to this image. 

Just like he couldn’t say ‘I love you’ to an illusion, he couldn’t say ‘I love you’ to the mysterious Maglor, not matter how much he wanted to. Elrond sighed again and shook his head. He needed some tea.


	2. The One-Eyed are Kings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the second and final chapter of this. It's slightly pornier than I expected it to be but I just had to leave you on a happy smutty note. Please let me know if you enjoyed that!
> 
> Also, I would really like to thank Alex, aka Wirrwarr for her constant enthusiasm and support in both my private life and in writing fics. Her confidence in my writing is everything, really. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“When you get them, please let me know if nipple piercings are the miraculous remedy for a bad day.” Elrond sent the mysterious Maglor that evening, slouched in the sofa, watching a documentary on a very special type of seaweed which could be found at the delta of rivers, eating the leftover pasta. 

“I can’t tell you now but I can tell you that almond chocolate are a good place to start. I don’t want to bother you with it, but I found a couple of piercing parlours where I could get pierced, would you mind telling me what you think about them?”

“You’re not bothering me at all. Please send me the links.”

The next messages had three links which Elrond dutifully looked over.

“The third one, the Bruinen River Ink and Piercings, my daughter got pierced there with her boyfriend (don’t even ask) and the piercing looked good. She never had any problem with it.”

“Yeah, they look good. I wish they had pictures of their nipple piercings.”

“You could always volunteer yours.”

“You’re going to laugh at me but I’m actually feeling really nervous about removing my shirt in a piercing parlour.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I mean… You won’t believe me but in my everyday life, I’m quite shy. No one even suspects I’m like this with you. I’m sure they would be appalled if they knew.”

“I understand the feeling. But you don’t have to be ashamed about our conversations. Expressing consent and enthusiasm is the sexiest part of having sex. Well, that’s what I believe anyway.”

“So… Does that mean that me saying that I really really want you turns you on?”

Elrond smiled and turned the TV off.

***

The next day, Lindir faked an appointment to leave half an hour early. 

Elrond went home, drank tea, ate chocolate, finished the chocolate, went to the shop to buy more chocolate and a bottle of fruit liquor from Lothlorien which Galadriel had made him taste one day and he knew it to be deadly. 

As he drank the first glass slowly, he looked out the window, hoping to see some snow actually falling. 

What a mess he was. He had always, he realized now, placed way too much importance in Lindir’s opinion of him. He knew Lindir looked up to him, saw him as a model, or some sort of ideal of academic and morality success. He saw him as a good man. And Elrond wanted so desperately to be that good man. He made efforts, everyday, to be that good man. 

But he wasn’t. 

How could he have been so blind?

All those efforts, it felt, were more about being worthy in Lindir’s eyes than being actually a good man. What good man nurtures such thoughts about his assistant and communicates with another way younger man in the way he had been speaking with the mysterious Maglor. 

He felt pathetic. He looked at the alcohol and the chocolate around him and chuckled to himself. He needed to get a grip. Wallowing wouldn’t help matters. He needed to find a way to make the situation less tense with Lindir. He needed to… 

He just received a new message from the mysterious Maglor. It read: 

“I’m home with my two new piercings! I can’t believe I did that.”

“You really did? Wow. How did it go?”

“Well… It kind of hurts. More than my tattoo at least. But it’s bearable.”

“Can I see them?”

“Of course, I’ll take a picture.”

Elrond felt himself smiling while waiting for the picture. Well, at least one good thing happened today. He opened the picture and saw the torso he had come to be very familiar with the past few weeks. The piercings were very discreet indeed: Elrond could only see the shiny silver ends of it, so discreet he had to look for them to notice (he also supposed that most people would be too caught on with the rest to notice the small jewelry, which he could understand) The nipples looked redder than usual, as if someone had been lightly biting on them, his brain unhelpfully provided, but otherwise, everything looked fine. 

“They look really nice.” He answered. 

“I hope they do. Aftercare is worse than for my tattoo as well. And I’m truly wondering who am I even going to show them to so it feels a little useless. But well, if you enjoy them, it’s a very nice start.”

“Maybe you could enjoy them too.”

“I can’t play with them just yet. I have to wait until it’s healed. They told me it would take some time.”

Elrond smiled. How serious could the mysterious Maglor be sometimes. It was endearing, really. 

“Now, tell me,” he typed back “how did it all happen?”

***

The day after, Arwen had confiscated all the chocolate save for one dark chocolate slab with hazelnuts and the alcohol was definitely gone until the week-end. He would have protested but he knew he did the same to her and to Thranduil so it wouldn’t be fair. 

Plus, he knew now that the mysterious Maglor had nipple piercings, partly thanks to him, so the world seemed a little brighter and his problems seemed a little further away. He would probably re-read the account at some point today, especially the part where he had closed his eyes when laying in the piercer’s chair and thought about Elrond (well, Ereinion he guessed) in order to forget how ashamed he was to remove his shirt in front of a stranger. 

Elrond found Thranduil in a better shape, entering the building at the same time. They discussed about sobriety and days at the zoo. Thranduil had talked to Bard and apparently things were looking up. At least, Thranduil had his signature ‘Bard’ shiny blue eyes so that was a good sign. He still had dark circles but they never lasted long under Thranduil intense eye treatment. 

They talked a while at the intersection between the history department and the literature one in which there was, for once, no rushing students or teachers. They talked until Lindir appeared with Feren, his best friend apparently and, funnily enough, Thranduil’s assistant. They had both removed their coats and scarves and they were discussing in low tones. 

Today, Elrond couldn’t help but notice, Lindir had his hair in a braid down his back, as he usually did when he had no patience dealing with it. The same tress of hair was still missing, which shouldn’t make Elrond smile everyday he saw Lindir but did. His always so serious and so organized student, constantly missing to gather all of his hair in his hairdos… He was always wearing his navy blue shirt. This one was cotton. Elrond learned that it was basically his comfort shirt, the one he wore for long days of work or when he was feeling more insecure than usual. What challenge did Lindir think he would face today? He did look rather distracted and couldn’t stop playing with the sleeve of the coat he had draped on his arm. 

“Well, I have to go. Sadly essays don’t correct themselves.” Thranduil complained. 

“How rude of them.” Elrond deadpanned. 

“See you for lunch. Be there. Feren, let’s go: the sooner we’re done, the sooner I can go home to my boyfriend.”

Feren nodded with a smile and left Lindir with some promise of lunch as well. Lindir answered distractingly and, without looking, turned to follow Elrond back to his office. 

That’s when the collision happened. 

Indeed, Thranduil, as usual, didn’t look where he was going and, for once, neither did Lindir. It resulted in the two of them meeting and in Thranduil’s smoking coffee to have an unwelcomed meeting with Lindir’s shirt. 

To his credit, Lindir took the impact with nothing more than a grimace. Thranduil swore and finally apologized after Lindir’s tenth “I’m sorry”. It still amazed Elrond how many times Lindir could say ‘sorry’ in a row, even when he was barely to blame. 

Thranduil, mostly unscathed, walked to the history department bathroom, mumbling about a change of clothes he always kept in his office (the result of partying all night and then having to give a lecture where glittery leggins were not considered appropriate) 

Lindir did look in pain. There was no way having burning hot coffee spilled on you first thing in the morning felt good. He also looked quite tired. Elrond took pity on him: 

“Do you have anything to change into?” He asked. 

“Yes, I have a sweater I didn’t think I would need. Well, now I do. I’m sorry but… I’ll… change in the bathroom. Excuse me. I’ll be back very soon. I’m sorry.”

Elrond smiled and nodded, walking back to his office, keys in hand, while Lindir took the direction to the literature department’s bathroom. When he put his coat on the coat-hanger, Elrond realized that he hadn’t proposed to take Lindir’s coat for him, which would have helped him greatly. He really couldn’t do anything right for Lindir, could he? 

After a moment’s hesitation and considerations about Lindir’s right to privacy when he was washing off burning coffee stains in the morning, Elrond decided that the least he could do was to offer his help to his poor assistant. He left his office and walked to the bathroom through empty corridors. 

As he stepped inside, he fell on a most surprising sight. 

Lindir was standing by the row of sinks, the coat and sweater neatly laid where they couldn’t get wet. He was halfway through the removing of his shirt. 

And on his shoulder was inked “And fortify yourself in your decay”. 

The line that the mysterious Maglor had told him he had tattooed on his shoulder but never showed.

Hearing the door fall shut behind Elrond, Lindir startled and looked up. 

Those eyes should truly be illegal. Or rather, Elrond’s thoughts about them should be illegal. How does one even have such eyelashes? 

“Sorry if I took too long.” Lindir started. “I tried washing off the stain but I’m afraid it isn’t happening…”

Lindir was blushing and Elrond felt sick for feeling a pang of want deep in his chest when he saw just how far the blush went. His assistant had turned, now facing the mirrors by the sinks, trying in vain to fix his eyes somewhere. Elrond immediately looked down in an attempt to look away from his lovely assistant. 

That had been a mistake. 

Because, by doing so, he had turned his eyes at Lindir’s torso who was trying to look casual while removing his shirt entirely. 

On Lindir’s nipples, two little silvery jewels were shinning. 

There could be no doubts. 

Lindir just had to be the mysterious Maglor. Elrond felt frozen in hesitation, caught between looking away, going back to his office and do as if nothing had happened and… confront Lindir. 

But if he turned away, there was no way he could contact the mysterious Maglor again, not when he knew who he was and Maglor didn’t. It would be a betrayal of his trust and Elrond never ever wanted to do that. 

“I am ereinion-was-bi.“ Elrond blurted out before slapping himself mentally. 

Elrond had not spoken too loud but Lindir still startled again, instinctively and his head snapped up, eyes wide open like a deer in headlights. 

“I didn’t know… By the Valar, I didn’t know who you were until I saw… your tattoo and your piercings… I wouldn’t have imagined…”

Lindir’s cheeks were entirely red now. He looked down as if he had been struck and immediately pulled his shirt back on as if it could protect him. But, by doing so, he had caught the piercing on his right nipple and grimaced at the pain. 

It was the exact grimage he had made when Thranduil had spilled his hot coffee on him. 

Elrond was next to him in a second, his hand going on his shoulder before he could think of it:

“Are you alright?”

“Well…” Lindir began with a tilt of his head, his chest heaving under the sudden flash of renewed pain. “I’ll be fine… I guess it’s… hum… less embarrassing than discovering you’ve been sexting your boss for the past few weeks. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know either, I… That was stupid of me.”

“It wasn’t. It was an honest mistake from both our parts. We can talk about this and sort this out…”

“I can find a new supervisor. I’m sure someone else will be willing to take my place: you’re a good, respected professor, you would have no trouble finding a new assistant. I could even show them how…”

Here he was, rambling again, his hands moving nervously, and refusing eye contact. 

Elrond did what he had to do to calm him down. He held his wrists as gently as possible. 

“You’re going to hurt yourself again.” He explained gently when Lindir finally looked up to him and he was able to maintain some eye contact. “Lindir, I want you to be very, very frank with me: do you want to quit?”

Lindir licked his lower lip and Elrond did his best not to hold his wrists too tight. He relaxed his hands as best he could but found himself incapable of letting go just yet. Lindir’s skin under his hands was soft and hot with the blood coursing in his veins under the delicate skin of his wrists. Elrond wanted to caress it with his thumbs, to soothe him, help him settle down, drag him gently towards him and…

“I don’t want this to be awkward for you. It… It shouldn’t have happened…”

“Lindir,” Elrond used his best grounding voice, refusing to let Lindir’s eyes or wrists go. “Do you want to quit?”

Lindir took a deep breath and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. He closed it again, licking his lips one more time. 

He shook his head no silently. 

Elrond let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Relief flooded over him and he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. He gently pulled Lindir’s wrists away from his chest and looked at the piercings. They looked slightly sore, redder than yesterday, especially the right one. 

“Now… Do they hurt?”

“A little. The coffee was very hot and… I still have to get around to being careful…”

“Please, do be careful. I would hate to see you hurt.” Elrond whispered, stepping closer, making sure Lindir understood the underlying message in his words. 

He gently let Lindir’s wrists go in a caress and let his weakness drive his hands on his assistants waist. Lindir’s sharp intake of breath made him smile as he kissed his forehead, delighting in the way Lindir instantly leaning in. He then brushed his lips slightly against Lindir, nothing more but a caress, moving before Lindir could turn it into a kiss. He felt the young man tense in his hands when Elrond moved on, past Lindir’s lips.

“Shh.” He murmured in Lindir’s neck before finding himself face to face, so to say, with Lindir’s pierced nipples. 

Lindir was still slightly tense and he was breathing deeply. 

Elrond kissed the left nipple first, nothing but a gentle press of lips. Lindir gasped and one of his hands found its way in Elrond’s hair, not pulling or tugging (not yet) but just here. It made Elrond smile while he kissed the other nipple as gently. 

When he drew up from Lindir’s nipples, Lindir looked half-wrecked already. His lips were red, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes already looked darker. Elrond couldn’t help but kissing him on the spot. 

Lindir responded immediately, eagerly, holding on Elrond’s neck with both arms, as if afraid of letting him go. 

Vaguely aware of their surroundings, Elrond had meant to keep it short: kiss Lindir, entreat him to get dressed and find him in his office. However, when the young man opened his mouth under his, he found himself hoisting Lindir up by the hips and settling him by the sinks.

It took a door closing somewhere in the corridor and the fear of discovery to separate them, breathing heavily and smiling uncontrollably. 

***

Three weeks later, they were at Elrond’s house. 

Arwen was gone for the week-end and Elrond figured it was time to invite Lindir over. 

Lindir had been nervous at first so Elrond had soothed him by offering tea and by toying with his hair absent-mindedly while they enjoyed a new first flush darjeeling. 

He had discovered that Lindir was very partial to having his hair played with. 

He was just devising the execution of the next step of his ‘make Lindir comfortable’ plan which included making out in the couch, when Lindir, biting his lower lip, asked where the bathroom was. 

Cut short, Elrond took a moment before answering and, while Lindir was gone, he gathered the tea things and put them in the sink. 

They had taken things slow, despite their rather heated start. They still had a lot to figure out. They had got the: work and pleasure are totally separated nicely underway, even if they had had some rather heated making out sessions in the office when they finished late. There was something about Lindir sitting in his lap while he was in his professor chair that was quite intoxicating. Lindir had told him that he was his first serious relationship and that he wanted to take things slow so he was not overwhelmed by everything, which Elrond was happy to oblige. 

On his part, Elrond still had a lot to work out. Mainly, how the mysterious Maglor and Lindir were the same person. Gentle, shy Lindir whom everyone thought as a pure naive virgin could be as brazen and needy as the delightful not-so-mysterious-anymore Maglor. Lindir kept that side of him so firmly under lock that Elrond himself felt surprised and amazed when the young man suddenly had that look in his eyes which meant: “I’m going to be in your lap in two minutes and you’re going to be hard before you know what is happening.”

However, as lost as Elrond felt sometimes, there was always one thing that grounded him, one thing that irrevocably linked Lindir and the mysterious Maglor and he could feel it every time Lindir leaned into him, every time Lindir let him touch his chest, every time he found the two little piercings through Lindir’s nipples. They couldn’t really play with them yet, as they were still too new, too sensitive, but Elrond always watched them when he could. 

 

He was lost in thought, looking out the bay window which separated the living room from the garden, when Lindir re-appeared by his side. Elrond smiled at him, hooking one finger under his chin: 

“There you are.” He teased him gently, inviting him closer. 

“Elrond, I…” Lindir hesitated for a moment and Elrond was so delighted at hearing him using his name that he let the silence drag on for a minute or two. “I touched them, and I think… I think they’re mostly healed. I… hum…”

Then he licked his lips again and, with gentle, hesitant touches, he took Elrond’s hands on his. Lindir never ever before took control of Elrond’s movements so he made sure to be as pliant as necessary to show Lindir it was alright. 

The young man guided Elrond’s hands to his chest, placing them so Elrond could feel the piercings in the palm of his hands though his t-shirt. Then Lindir dropped his own hands and leaned in the touch. 

Elrond kissed him, trying to start slow but getting caught in Lindir’s willingness, eagerness to be touched. He kissed Lindir until he was breathless and gently bit his lower lip, refusing to let go just yet. Lindir had barely caught his breath that Elrond was kissing him again, making him moan so deliciously. 

Then Elrond started touching his piercings and Lindir had to close his eyes. 

He was careful at first, still afraid of hurting his lover after weeks of avoiding contact with the healing piercings. He touched them with his fingertips, feeling them, exploring them, delighting in the contrast between the tender flesh and the jewels. He brought his mouth to Lindir’s neck, kissing him, nipping gently at the skin as to not leave any marks. They had established rather early on that they were to leave no hickeys in plain sight, both finding it rather tasteless. 

Talk about taste when you’re mouthing at your assistant’s neck and feeling his nipple piercings. 

Lindir’s hands went to Elrond’s hair. It was going to take some time to have Lindir pull on it as Elrond liked, but at least, the young man let his nails on his scalp which was more than enough to spur Elrond on. Elrond mouthed lower at Lindir’s neck right before he encountered the bothersome t-shirt. Lindir whined when Elrond took a step back to remove his t-shirt. Lindir threw it in the direction of the couch but neither of them could be bothered to look where it landed. 

Lindir now had his hands on Elrond’s chest, still unsure whether his initiative would be welcome. They will get there, eventually. For the time being, Elrond helped Lindir and they removed his shirt together. 

While Lindir’s hands explored the bare skin with the tip of his fingers and the flat of his palms, spreading heat all the way south and leaving goosebumps in their wake, Elrond grabbed his hips to steer him back to the couch. Lindir was a little awkward, walking backwards, but soon enough, his calves met the edge of the sofa and a second later, he was on his back, Elrond crawling on top of him. 

There was no words for the pleasure of feeling Lindir’s skin against his own, no words for the hunger it awoke in Elrond as he captured Lindir mouth again in a wet filthy kiss. Elrond arranged himself so that he was on top of his assistant, covering him fully, from ankle to shoulder. Lindir was already bucking against him, making him feel exactly how excited he was. It was heady, really. 

Elrond used one arm to hold himself up in order not to crush Lindir while the other went back to his nipples as if they were a magnet for his fingertips. His eyes never leaving Lindir’s face, he gently tugged one the right piercing. The young man closed his eyes and moaned so sweetly. 

“Please, Elrond, I…“

But he didn’t have time to finish this sentence that Elrond was already licking the other nipple. 

Pinned against the couch and Elrond’s weight, Lindir was soon reduced to a lovely moaning mess, trying so hard to move his hips in order to get some friction. However, he couldn’t get much purchase in this position and soon, he was pleading for more in broken whimpers which went straight to Elrond’s gut like a sharp white hot blade of want. 

Letting the piercings go for a minute, earning a delicious protest from Lindir, Elrond re-arranged himself so that he could give his lover the friction he needed, letting their dicks rubbing firmly against one another. At the first movement of their hips, Elrond couldn’t hold back a groan of his own. The pressure was heady and perfect. 

Their relationship was too recent for them to go all the way: Elrond wanted to take his time with Lindir, wanted to explore him and discover every single pleasure spot on his body, wanted to discover what really drove him wild, wanted to be familiar with the strange creature under him, a wonderful mix between the brazen mysterious Maglor and his shy Lindir. Lindir wanted, oh how he wanted, but he still had to let go, to dare touching, to dare asking precisely what he wanted. Only then could Elrond take him. For now, he allowed his lover to undulate his hips underneath him, looking for the friction he wanted, meeting him halfway, making him whimper and moan. 

Lindir’s hands had started around his neck, then, one hand had sneaked into his hair. Slowly, Lindir was beginning to understand what Elrond liked and delighted in every discovery. His nails were scraping against his scalp as he was beginning to lose control. His other hand had clutched Elrond’s back for a long time, before moving again, in time with Lindir’s restless squirming. 

Now it was on Elrond’s ass and the older man couldn’t help but groaning louder than he had intended, his mouth leaving Lindir’s nipple for a moment as he felt a flash of nearly blinding pleasure. 

How wonderful it will be when they will try that entirely naked. 

Upon hearing Elrond’s groan and feeling his cock twitch against him, Lindir whimpered again, a new urgency in his movements. One hand in Elrond’s hair, the other on his ass, Lindir was now pulling his lover to him, setting the pace himself and making Elrond smile. Neither of them could bear being parted for even a second so they were now purely grinding against each other. Letting Lindir take the pleasure he wanted at the pace he wanted, Elrond could now focus purely on the young man’s pierced nipples. He licked a stripe over one before blowing air on it and watched Lindir arch his back. Using his hand in Elrond’s hair, the young man was pushing his mouth back on his nipple, making Elrond smile wider: Lindir was well and truly overwhelmed by pleasure. He did comply, sucking hard on the nipple, letting his tongue play with the piercing before letting it go with an obscene wet noise. 

While he was busy with the other one, he felt Lindir’s movements becoming more urgent. Lindir was starting to tense under him. He was close. Elrond felt very, very close as well, but he would have Lindir come first. 

So, his mouth over Lindir’s chest, he murmured against his skin: 

“Do you remember what I told you when you first talked about those piercings?”

Lindir half moaned a weak: “Wha-ah-what?” clearly too far gone to remember it. 

Elrond smiled and went on: “I said that I would make you lie on your stomach on my bed so that you’d only have the mattress to seek friction into.” He said, the rough and gravelly timbre of his voice surprising, even to him. “I would only touch your piercings while I let you hump the mattress.” Lindir’s hands tightened on Elrond and he could feel his climax rapidly approaching. If Lindir’s movements and never-ending little whimpers were any indications, the younger man was feeling the same. 

“Now imagine you on your stomach and me above you. As promised, I would only touch your piercings, even if you plead me to touch you down there.” Elrond went on. 

Lindir frowned, making a small noise in protest: “No please, you would touch me, wouldn’t you?”

“I wouldn’t. But I would also be so deep within you that you wouldn’t need it. I would only have my hands on your piercings and my cock inside you that you would barely need to rub against the mattress to come. You would come so hard.”

Lindir moaned again and Elrond could feel it: Lindir tensing under him, his back arching, his hands grasping him almost painfully while his arms trembled. Elrond watched, enraptured as Lindir gave himself over to pleasure, letting go and feeling each wave of pleasure as he came in his pants. 

The view was lovely indeed. 

Once Lindir was spent, still and boneless under him, his cheeks red and his bruised lips redder still, his hair fanning under him, sweat pearling on his forehead, only then did Elrond allow himself to draw back on his knees, straddling Lindir’s hips. He hurriedly reached inside his trousers and barely had his hand around his cock that he was coming, looking at Lindir underneath him, looking at him with awe. 

***

A few minutes later, they were in the shower, Lindir gently lathering Elrond’s chest with soap (or at least, that was the excuse, Lindir hadn’t stopped petting Elrond’s chest with something akin to fascination and boundless admiration since they came down from their high) 

Suddenly, he asked: “When are you getting yours pierced then?”


End file.
